Blue and Gold rested and ready

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This article was published 12/11/2022 (1039 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers begin their pursuit of a third consecutive Grey Cup title with a date against the visiting B.C. Lions in the West Division final at IG Field Sunday afternoon.

The Bombers haven’t played in nearly two weeks, after earning the bye last week as the top team in the West — a feat they’ve achieved for a second straight season. The Lions finished second in the Division, which set up a semi-final matchup at home against the Calgary Stampeders last Sunday, with the Lions claiming a convincing 30-16 win to punch their ticket into this weekend’s affair.

It will mark the fourth time these two teams have done battle this season, but the first in a win-or-go-home game. The Bombers won the regular-season series, winning two of the three games, with the lone loss coming in a Week 19 matchup at BC Place that saw several starters for Winnipeg sidelined after having already clinched the West.

Can the Bombers continue their magical run? Or will the Lions spoil their party by earning their first trip to the Grey Cup since winning it all against Winnipeg in 2011?

Here’s what you need to know in the latest edition of 5 Storylines.

REST VS RUST

It’s an age-old debate over whether there’s a greater benefit to sidelining a player (rest) to ensure he’s healthy and ready to go or getting him to see as much game action as possible to make sure he’s not sitting too long (rust) and therefore risk feeling out of sorts come playoffs.

The Bombers once again had the luxury of sealing first place in the West weeks before the start of the postseason. Much like in 2021, they decided to keep a majority of starters out for their second-last regular season game (Week 19), while putting several back in for the finale two weeks later (Winnipeg had the bye in Week 20).

Many will point to last season and how after resting players for a majority of the final regular season game, the Bombers came out flat in the West final, committing a ghastly six turnovers — including five in the first half — en route to squeaking out a narrow win, 21-17, over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. But there’s a distinct difference this year, and that’s the fact the Bombers, in 2021, had a bye week in the final week of the regular season, meaning they went three whole weeks without playing, while this year it’s only two.

The Bombers are as healthy as they’ve been since the start of the season, and I don’t imagine a repeat of last year’s slow start. Winnipeg has learned from its last two playoff runs and that includes tweaking how they handle players.

So, if anything, the added rest should bode well for them, especially against a team that played an emotional game last week and now have to travel to enemy territory.

HOME SWEET HOME

Speaking of enemy territory, I don’t envy any team that has to play in front of the raucous crowd at IG Field.

The Bombers faithful have long been one of the loudest stadiums in the CFL, but they’ve taken it to a whole new level this season. There’s a reason the Bombers went 8-1 at home this year – and are 24-2 dating back to 2019 – and while the fans don’t actually play the game, they certainly have a role in the team’s success.

With more than 30,000 expected to brave the frigid temperatures — current forecasts for Sunday are predicting a low of -12 C, not including windchill — the Bombers will have a notable home-field advantage. The cold will be particularly daunting for the Lions, who won’t get a ton of time to adjust to a Winnipeg winter after spending much of the season in the comfortable confines of a covered BC Place.

As for the Bombers, they’ve been practising the last couple days in the snow, including Friday’s closed workout which had tractors plowing the field at the same time drills were being run. Simply put, the Lions are going to have to be ready for a fight on the field, all while the noise of thousands in the stands cheer for a knockout.

ROURKE EFFECT

The biggest challenge the Bombers will face is shutting down Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke. Rourke took the CFL by storm in just his second year, dazzling with his arm and legs before a serious foot injury sidelined him at the midway mark of the season.

Despite missing seven games, Rourke still posted stellar numbers, including 3,349 passing yards — an average of more than 300 passing yards a game — and 25 passing touchdowns, which was second only to Winnipeg’s Zach Collaros, while also rushing for an additional seven scores. Last week’s game against Calgary was his first full outing in nearly three months, and he finished 22-for-30 passing, for 321 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

But while Rourke looked mobile in the pocket, capable of evading pressure, he only took off running once for a five-yard gain. Getting to him will be critical, as the more time Rourke has to throw, the more harm he can inflict on the Bombers defence.

Calgary sacked Rourke four times last week, and Winnipeg will be looking for similar results. He’s had a storybook season this year, but the Bombers defence will want nothing more than to write his final chapter.

GROUND ’N’ POUND

The Bombers would be more than comfortable relying on the capable arm of Collaros to lead them to victory against a solid Lions defence. But as is often the case once the temperature drops, there will be added emphasis on the run game.

That’s where running back Brady Oliveira enters the fray, with the Winnipeg native expected to play a sizeable role on Sunday as the Bombers turn to a more ground-and-pound approach to combat the cold. In his first season as the club’s starting running back, Oliveira played in all 18 games, finishing with 1,001 rushing yards — with an average of five yards per run — and four touchdowns.

Running the ball has been the identity of the Bombers offence for years and a particular point of pride for the offensive line. Winnipeg averaged the second-most rushing yards per game this year, with 113.5, behind only Calgary’s 135.3 average.

But as good as Oliveira has been this season, there’s an argument to be made that he still hasn’t had that breakout game, the kind of incredible showing that announces to rest of the league he’s capable of putting a team on his shoulders. The 25-year-old has been waiting patiently for his shot, after being behind Andrew Harris on the depth chart the last two playoff runs, making now his time to shine.

LIEGGHIO LOCKED IN

There was a good chunk of the season where I couldn’t envision the Bombers keeping Marc Liegghio as their place kicker heading into the playoffs. As a punter, sure, but not the guy responsible for kicking field goals.

Liegghio’s lack of consistency seemed to reach a head in a Week 10 loss at home against the Montreal Alouettes, where the 25-year-old missed two of his three kicks, including shanking a 32-yard game-winning field goal with no time remaining in the fourth quarter and then a 37-yarder in overtime that bounced off the upright and out to clinch an Alouettes victory.

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The Bombers opted to stick with Liegghio and the move paid off; since the loss to Montreal, he’s been mostly perfect, going 13-for-16, with all three of those misses in the Week 19 loss to B.C. In fact, all seven of his misses this year have been spread across three games, meaning he’s been perfect in the other 15.

That also means Liegghio has been boom-or-bust this season, even if he’s been boom more often. He’s made clutch kicks, too, none better than the 55-yard field goal against Saskatchewan in the Labour Day Classic, but that in no way means he’ll be up to the task in the biggest game of the year.

Indeed, none of what he’s achieved this season will matter if he can’t find his groove Sunday. The margin for error will be paper thin, with the Bombers unable to afford leaving points off the board.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

Every piece of reporting Jeff produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.